Report on the conferment ceremony for Mrs Sayoko Smith Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays

February 15, 2019

On Wednesday 13th February, an Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays was conferred upon Mrs Sayoko Smith in a ceremony at the official residence of the Consul General of Japan in Edinburgh.

Mrs Smith was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays by the Government of Japan in recognition of her longstanding achievements of cultural exchange between the North of England and Japan as Chair of the North East Japanese Women’s Association.

Consul General Takaoka began with a welcome address detailing Mrs Smith’s achievements before conferring the award. After this, Mrs Smith gave a speech thanking all those involved for their support over the years. This was followed by a congratulatory speech from H.M. Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham, Mrs Sue Snowdon. The ceremony was followed by a reception where everybody was able to celebrate Mrs Smith’s achievement with her.